On this episode, we have Amanda Price from KPMG High Growth Ventures who works with founders to help them understand their opportunities. We discuss the dynamics of founder-led sales and the challenges faced by founders, particularly when expanding into the US market. Amanda shares experience from her extensive career, from her first job at Tech Specific to setting up programs for founders to get into the US. The conversation looks at the role of accelerators and the moment Amanda realised the potential of the high-growth venture space. Amanda provides an extreme amount of entrepreneurial wisdom. Problem: Founders struggle to understand what opportunities they have, who to connect with, or the market they need to expand into. Solution: KPMG High Growth Ventures works like a concierge service, they help the founders to understand their opportunities and help connect them to relevant people like vetters, SMGs & advisors. One big piece of advice: You have to do founder-led sales, the best salesperson for customers and investors is the founders.
Bullets:
(00:00) - Introduction
(02:09) - The business Amanda would start today
(05:38) - Founder-led sales
(06:50) - Amanda’s first job at Tech Specific
(08:26) - Going from startup office to a corporate job
(09:25) - Amanda’s travels to the United States during the Global Financial Crisis
(12:30) - Challenges Aussie founders have when they the US market
(15:16) - Many people fight for that 1% of the market
(17:16) - What the best founders that do that reach customers elsewhere
(18:55) - Role of accelerators
(22:04) - Sustaining high performers
(24:23) - How was it when Amanda realised this high-growth venture space was working
(25:33) - Putting satellite dishes on 500 Woolworths stores
(28:35) - What Amanda would change for founders
(31:16) - One Big Piece of Advice
(37:57) - Show & tell
Show & tell